Tag: NBA

Warriors throttle the Knicks 122-95

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the lowly New York Knicks at Oracle Arena Tuesday night and routed them 122-95. The Knicks, who are coached by Dave Fizdale, were competitive for the first 18 to 20 minutes of the first half. The Knicks, who are in rebuild mode, entered the game as one of the worst shooting clubs in the NBA. They trailed the Warriors 31-25 at the end of the first quarter. They grabbed a 49-48 lead, but they could not stop the Warriors as the Warriors went on a 13-0 run to finish the first half, leading 61-49. Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack with 17 points, Steph Curry had 14, and Kevin Durant added 11. The Knicks were led by Tim Hardaway, Jr’s 11 points. Hardaway was hurt with 1:07 left to play in the half, and he was not able to return.

The Warriors blew out the Knicks in the third quarter. They outscored them 33-18 to finish the quarter with a 94-68 lead. Thompson was on fire as he was the player with the hot hand. Thompson stayed hot, and when he connected on a three to make the score 111-83. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took him out. Thompson finished with 43. Kerr also removed all the starters, and the bench players coasted to a 122-95 victory.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 27-14. Steph Curry missed 11 games to a injury, and Draymond Green also missed 14 due to a toe injury.

Green scored just two points, but he did have a double-double with 11 boards and 10 assists. Curry also had a double-double. He knocked down 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 14 assists. Kevin Durant finished with 24 points, 6 boards, and 6 assists. The Warriors’ bench contributed 41 points.

The Knicks’ 19-year old rookie tallied 12 points. The Knicks’ leading scorer was Mario Hezonja with 19. Their big center, Enod Kanter, had a double-double with 12 points, and 16 rebounds.

The Warrior defense held the Knicks to 39.6% shooting from the floor. The Warriors outrebounded them 49-39, and the Warriors had 9 steals and 10 blocked shots.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the lowly Chicago Bulls Friday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Kings stunned by Suns 115-111 in Phoenix

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Suns

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

Tuesday night was the second night of a back-to-back and the Kings looked poised to start a winning streak. The night before, the Kings beat the Orlando Magic 111-95 breaking a four-game losing streak. After the game, the Kings traveled to Phoenix to take on the Suns at 6:00 PM PST.

In the first quarter, the Kings came out sluggish. Four minutes into the game, the Kings were trailing 12-8 to the Suns. The Kings didn’t play a bad first quarter, but the Suns had a great quarter. In the first, the Suns managed 35 points compared to the Kings’ 32. It was something that you don’t normally see from the Suns, who came into this game 9-32 on the season.

In the second quarter, the Kings would come out in a big way. Doing what most people thought they would in the first, the Kings scored 40 points to take a commanding 21-point lead. On the other hand, the Suns scored 18 points to dig themselves a deep hole going into the third quarter. At the end of the first half, the Suns trailed 72-53. Leading scorers for the Kings were Buddy Hield and Ben McLemore both with 11 points.

In the third quarter, the script flipped. Just like the Kings scored 40 points in the second, the Suns scored 33 to tie the game. One of the main problems for the Kings was the number of turnovers allowed. The Kings allowed a crippling 25 turnovers Tuesday. That number is uncharacteristically high for the Kings, who are known for not allowing a high amount of turnovers. After three quarters, the game was tied at 86 points apiece.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Kings were by no means out of the game. What they had to do was get the momentum back and seal the win. Unfortunately for Kings fans, they weren’t able to do that. With the minutes winding down on the clock, the Suns and Kings traded shot for shot.

In the end, the Suns scored a few points too many for the Kings to handle. As the final buzzer sounded, the Kings were left to reflect on how they blew a 21-point advantage to lose to the worst team in the NBA. The obvious answer is the turnovers. The Suns received 25 free possessions from the Kings, which is not a good formula for winning. The final score was 115-111.

The loss put the Kings’ record down to 20-21. The win improved the Suns’ season to 10-32.

The Kings return home to host the Detroit Pistons Thursday at 7:00 PM PST.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O: Kings’ loss is now fifth in last six games after loss in Phoenix

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The Orlando Magic couldn’t hold a second and third quarter lead over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at Golden One Center in a 111-95 loss. The next night and Kings dropped a tough loss to Phoenix and the Suns played catch up 115-111.

#2 De’Aaron Fox contributed with 20 points and the Kings lead by 28 points after three quarters Fox has been a big contributor. Fox in Phoenix led the Kings again with 24 points but turned the ball over eight times.

#3 The win on Monday gave snapped the Kings’ four-game losing streak and boosted morale for Sacramento, but 24 hours later, the let down in Phoenix.

#4  The Kings were up by 21 and turned the ball over 26 times. That’s a lot of turnovers after having a big lead.

#5 Next up for Sacramento, the Kings are back at Golden One vs. Detroit on Thursday.

Charlie O does the Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors are finding the Kings are going to give them fits

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 After the Warriors’ struggle with the Houston Rockets last week ,they got a big win over the Sacramento Kings 127-123 on Saturday night in Sacramento.

#2 It was a historic game of all sorts–a new NBA record setting game with 18 lead changes and 11 ties. The Warriors’ biggest lead was 16 points and the Kings was nine.

David does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

It was a heck of a basketball game on Saturday night: the Warriors squeaked by the Kings 127-123

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

gsw 1-6 final

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — The sellout crowd of 17583 fans at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday was treated to a real example of an NBA game in this new era as they saw the Golden State Warriors hold off the upstart Sacramento Kings 127-123. Not only was it an exciting contest, but it was also an NBA record-setting game.

The game featured 18 lead changes and was tied 11 times. The Warriors largest lead was 16 and that came in the first period. The Kings biggest lead of the game was nine points.

The constant end-to-end action had the crowd in a literal frenzy from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.

The teams “made it rain” to set an NBA record

gsw 1-6 curry
Curry scored a game-high 42 points Photo: @warriors

The teams combined to hit 41 3-point field goals in the game which set a new record for the NBA. The Warriors put in 21-of-47 (44.7%) their attempts from behind the 3-point line. The Kings converted 20-of-36 (55.6%) their shots from long distance in the game.

123 of the 250 total points scored in the game came off 3-point field goals. That is a true representation of where today’s NBA is headed now and in the foreseeable future.

Steph Curry led the 3-point scoring barrage sinking 10-of-20 attempts. The Kings’ Buddy Hield (yes, the guy from Oklahoma who would never be able to hit the 3-pointer in the Association according to scouts) converted 8-of-13 attempts from long range. The big surprise may have been Sacramento’s Justin Jackson who went 5-for-7 from behind the arc.

The fans were in seventh heaven.

The teams played evenly except in one area

gsw 1-6 pic 2

The battle in the paint was dramatic on Saturday night. The Warriors scored 40 points down low while the Kings put up 38 points in the paint.

2nd Chance Points – which can determine the outcome of a game – was a dead-even tie. Golden State scored 14 2nd Chance Points and the Kings 14 of their own. GSW grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, while SAC pulled down 14 rebounds on offense.

The “runaway” Kings dominated the fastbreak points category in this game. Sacramento scored 32 points via the fast break while the Warriors recorded only 15 points via the break. There is no doubt that the Kings love to run.

Top Performers

Kings (19-20)

  • Buddy Hield was the Kings’ leading scorer with 32 points. He also added four assists and five rebounds.

  • Justin Jackson came off the bench to put 28 points. Jackson shot 10-for-14 overall for the game. He also grabbed five defensive rebounds.

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points, dished out seven assists and added six rebounds. He also added three steals.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded another double-double putting up 14 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. WCS keeps hitting that double-double goal.

Warriors (26-14)

  • Steph Curry was the game’s high scorer with 42 points. Curry went 14-for-25 from the field (10-for-20 from 3-point land).
  • Kevin Durant scored 29 points and dished out nine assists.
  • Klay Thompson added 20 points in the contest.
  • That was a total of 91 points from the Warriors big three.

Coach Joerger’s Postgame Analysis

Coach Dave Joerger felt like his team played one its better games of the season.

Joerger loved Buddy Hield’s play and he explained why

Joerger had some great things to say about Justin Jackson

Up next

The Kings will return to action on Monday night when they will host the Orlando Magic at the Golden 1 Center.

The Warriors will host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Oakland.

Warriors come out on top against Kings 127-123

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, still smarting from a one-point loss to the Houston Rockets last Thursday night, traveled to Sacramento to face the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center Saturday evening.

The Kings, under coach Dave Joerger, are no longer the sad sack Kings. Joerger has worked wonders with his young team. They entered the game with a record of 19-19, and they had split the two games played against the Warriors so far this season. The Kings play an uptempo game and love to make three-point shots. The Warriors knew that they would have their hands full with the Kings and that what exactly what transpired during the game. The two teams set an NBA record with 41 three-point shots made in a game. The Warriors made 21, and the Kings made 20. The Warriors prevailed 127-123 as they figured out a way to play defense in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors, with the score tied at 22 in the first quarter, went on a 15-0 run to lead 37-22. The Kings woke up, but the Warriors still finished the quarter leading 43-29. The Kings outscored the Warriors 40-27 in the second quarter and trailed by one 70-69 at the end of the first half. Both teams were making three-point shots. The Warriors connected 12 times, and the Kings made 11. Steph Curry knocked down four three-pointers. Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook each had three. The Kings’ Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovich each had three. Klay Thompson had 17, Kevin Durant 13, and Quinn Cook added 10. Bogdanovic finished the first half with 15, Justin Jackson 12, and Nemanja Bjelica 10.

The Kings continued their torrid shooting in the third period. They outscored Golden State 34-26 to end the period with a seven-point advantage 101-96.  The Kings’ Buddy Hield made five threes in the period, and his total for the game was eight, which was a career-high for him. The Warriors continued to commit turnovers while the Kings did not at this point in the game.

The Warriors had their work cut out for them if they wanted to win. They had to play defense, and someone had to step up and lead the offense. The Warriors showed the Kings why they are the reigning NBA champs as they held the prolific Kings offense to just 20 points in the fourth quarter. Curry showed the Kings why he was awarded two NBA MVP awards as he scored 20 of the teams 31 points in the final 12 minutes to lead the Warriors to victory.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors improved to 26-14 while Sacramento dropped to 19-20. Curry led the Warriors with 42 points, and he connected on 10 3-point shots. Durant had 29 point, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists. He made three threes, too. Klay Thompson had 20 and three threes. Quinn Cook had 10. Draymond Green finished with 12 points, 7 boards, and 7 assists.

The Kings’ Buddy Hield finished with 32. He made eight threes, but the Warriors throttled him in the fourth quarter as he failed to make a three in the final stanza. Justin Jackson, coming off the bench for Sacramento, ended the night with 28 points. He knocked down five threes. Bogdanovic had 17, Willie Cauley-Stein 14 points and 13 rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica had 12 for Sacramento.

The two teams set an NBA record for threes made in a game. The Warriors were 21 for 47 while the Kings were 20 for 36. The Warriors’ defense had 5 steals and 8 blocks. The Warriors turned the ball over 13 times. The Kings committed just one turnover in the first half, but the Warrior defense caused them to commit 7 turnovers in the last 24 minutes of play.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the New York Knicks Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Warriors lose OT thriller to Rockets 135-134

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The defending champion Golden State Warriors hosted the rampaging Houston Rockets Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The game was a tale of two halves. The Warriors won the first half by 17 points, and the Rockets won the second half by 17 points to send the game into overtime. The Rockets won the game with just one second left on the clock when the reigning NBA MVP, James Harden, connected on a 3-point shot to put the Rockets ahead for good 135-134.

The Warriors won the first half 70-53 as they had four players in double-figures. Klay Thompson was hot with 19 to lead the team. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry each had 13 and Kevon Looney scored 12 much to the delight of the Warrior fans and head coach Steve Kerr. The Rockets were led by Clint Capela with 16 and James Harden’s 15.

As the fans know, 17-point leads are not difficult to overcome in the NBA. The Warriors increased the lead to 20, but the Rockets were not fazed. James Harden led the Rocket comeback with 13 points in the third quarter. The Warriors’ lead at the end of three periods of play swindled down to 6 points 98-92.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets cut the deficit to one point as they trailed 102-101.  The Warriors’ Jonas Jerebko made two free throws, and he hit a three-pointer to put the Dubs ahead 108-13. The Warriors increased the lead to six 119-113, but the Rockets scored the last six points of regulation to tie the contest at 119.

The Rockets grabbed the early lead in OT 121-119. Curry tied the game at 121. Harden hit another three and Houston led 124-121. Durant made two free throws and a bucket to give the Warriors the lead 125-124. Curry made a 3 and the Warriors lead 128-124 with 2:20 left in overtime. Harden and Austin Rivers each connected on a 3-pointer to go ahead 130-128. Durant and Thompson scored a pair of 2-pointers to put Golden State ahead 132-130. The Rockets tied at 132 and Curry made a bucket to put the Warriors ahead 134-132. Time was running out for Houston. They inbounded the ball to Harden and with one second left on the clock, Harden made a 3-pointer to cement the win. The Warriors inbounded the ball to Durant, but his shot hit the rim, and the game was over.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 35 points, including five 3-point shots. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant each finished with 26. Kevon Looney finished with 12. Draymond Green had 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Houston was led by Harden’s triple-double. He recorded 44 points, 10 boards, and 15 assists. He made 10 3s. It was the ninth game in a row that Harden had scored more than 35 points. The other big force for Houston was Clint Capela. The Warriors did not have an answer for him. Capela knocked down 29 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. Capela was double teamed most of the night, and the Warriors could not contain him. Also, Capela did not commit a foul until late in the fourth quarter. Austin Rivers had 18, and he made four 3s. Gerald Green connected on three 3s and finished with 16 for the night. Danuel House added 17 for the Rockets.

The Warriors shot 52% from the floor and held Houston to 45.5%. The big stat to keep in mind is that the Rockets made 21 3-point shots. The Warriors connected on 14.

The Warriors, with the loss, drop to 25-14 and Houston improved to 22-15.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Sacramento to face the Kings Saturday night at 7:00 pm PT.

Kings unable to contain Nuggets’ second half surge in 117-113 loss

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: London Marq

SACRAMENTO — The talk around Sacramento has changed this season. The Kings are playing better, and the excitement is brewing. Even with only 19 wins, 2 games above .500, and sitting one spot out of the playoffs the Golden 1 Center is a much different, much rowdier place to play.

Thursday night, the Kings hosted the west leading Denver Nuggets and their Coach Mike Malone, who four years ago was tossed out of Sacramento midseason after the team had been playing well. The Kings are playing well once more, and whether Malone wants to admit it or not, he’s surely looking for some revenge.

Despite the Kings allowing the Nuggets to grab some early offensive rebounds, they were able to claim an early lead behind the potent offense of Buddy Hield and Nemanja Bjelica. Bjelica, through the first 9 minutes of the game, had 12 points and was 5 of 7 from the field with two makes from beyond the arc. The Rising Star of the Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic struggled from deep, going 0-for-3 from the three-point line. He was still able to make his presence felt with 10 points and 3 boards, to make it all even after one period at 30 points apiece.

In the second quarter, Bjelica would fall victim to foul trouble, tallying 3 offensive fouls that would sideline him with more than half of the quarter to go. The Kings were more than equal to it. The Kings’ European Star Bogdan Bogdanavic, has been finding that stride that made him an MVP in Turkey. If you disagree, just check out this huge game-winner he hit against the Lakers last week. He caught fire in the second quarter against Denver and scored 11 points helping the Kings gain a comfortable lead. Bogdanovic wasn’t the only one. Yogi Ferrell got in on the action as well, dropping in 7. The Kings led by 15 at one point and took a 13-point advantage into the half 66-53.

The Nuggets didn’t come out of the half on fire, but the Kings certainly came out ice cold. Coach Mike Malone had his defense playing a smothering style of basketball. After 7 minutes eclipsed in the third, Sacramento has only scored 10 points. Despite all their defensive effort, with 61 seconds left in the quarter the Nuggets would only hold a 3-pint lead. They wouldn’t be able to contain the Kings, however, who put together two good possessions, including a huge block by the feisty Justin Jackson, and the game would be tied at 84 to end the quarter.

The name of the game in the fourth quarter was size and rebounding. The Nuggets have a ton of size and Nikola Jokic looked like Godzilla on the floor, dwarfing every single Kings player on the court. Late in the game, Denver utilized the size of Jokic, Mason Plumlee and Paul Millsap to dominate around the rim, pulling down 12 rebounds compared to the Kings 8. The was only compounded by Jamal Murray, the young Nuggets guard who exploded for 34 points in the second half, including 15 in the final period after only scoring 2 points the entire first half. Bogdanovic and Hield hit some huge shots at the end to keep it close, but alas, no cigar. The Nuggets go on to win by 4, 117-113.

A tough loss undeniably considering how the Kings opened the game and the 15-point margin they led by in the second quarter. Those are the types of games good teams don’t let slip away. Nevertheless, the Nuggets out rebounded Sacramento 54-to-33 and only won the game by 4 points. That promising–the Kings are playing so well, despite the disparities, demonstrates that they are legitimately one or two pieces away from truly contending in the West in the future. And having more cap space that any other team in the league and playing host to young and excelling talent, that future may be closer than we think.

The Kings host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, January 5 at 7:00 pm PT.

NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Mavs score big on Hornets; Richardson leads the way in Heat’s win; Beal gets 24 in Wizards’ win; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @RamonaSteve7

On the NBA podcast with Jerry Feitelberg:

#1 The Dallas Mavericks (18-19) topped the Charlotte Hornets (18-19) 122-84. For Dallas, Luke Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr each had 28 points to lead the Mavs.

#2 The Miami Heat (18-18) downed the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-30) 117-92. The Heat’s Josh Richardson led with 24 points.

#3 The Washington Wizards (15-23) get a 114-98 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks (11-26) Alex Len led the Hawks with 24 points and Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 24 points.

#4 The Brooklyn Nets (18-21) got a five-point win past the New Orleans Pelicans (17-22) 126-121. For the Nets, D’Angelo Russell led the Pelicans with 22 points.

#5 The Boston Celtics (22-15) got a big win past the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-21) at the Garden. The Celtics’ Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 35 points.

Join Jerry for the NBA podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings drop first game of 2019, fall to Trail Blazers 113-108

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By: Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO — First off, Happy New Years from Sacramento!

The Sacramento Kings looked to topple the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday evening at Golden One Center. Today, the Kings were looking to brush off a disappointing loss to the Lakers that took place on Sunday in LA. The Trail Blazers came into the game this evening with a 21-16 record against the Kings’ 19-17 record. The tip-off was set for an earlier 6:00 PM PST.

The beginning of this game had a very “tired” feel to it as neither team could hold onto the ball leading to very sloppy first few minutes. Five minutes into the game, the Kings led 11-9, thanks to Buddy Hield’s five points. In the ensuing minutes, the game remained close. Buddy Hield added eight more points to his total, bringing his first-quarter total to 13. Maurice Harkless and Damian Lillard scored seven points apiece to lead the Trail Blazers to a first quarter advantage 26-25.

In the second quarter, the Kings tried to keep the game close. Halfway through the quarter, the score was 42-36 as the Kings trailed. The Kings didn’t do a good job of that. The Trail Blazers managed to rack up 64 points in the first half compared to the Kings’ 50. The Kings needed to come out strong in the third quarter if they wanted a shot at winning this game. Leading the way for the Trail Blazers was Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum with a combined 27 points in the first half. Hield was arguably the only reason the Kings were remotely in the game as he put up 19 first-half points and 5-6 from downtown. The score at the half was 64-50 with the Trail Blazers on top.

In the third quarter, the Kings came out strong. Four minutes through the quarter, the Kings cut the deficit to 66-59. The Kings continued to keep the game tight. With four minutes remaining in the quarter, the Kings trailed only 73-70. Harry Giles capped the third off with a jumper just outside the paint to make it 83-77 Kings headed into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Kings appeared to be on track to do what they have so many times this season. Win after a double-digit deficit late. Just shy of four minutes after the fourth quarter began the Kings had come from a 83-77 deficit to an 89-85 lead with 8:42 left to go in the game. As if Kings fans needed more drama this season, the end of this game was heart-stopping. Thanks to Damien Lillard, the game was tied with roughly six seconds remaining. De’Aaron Fox had the ball and pulled up for a game-winning jumper just inside the arc, and missed. The game went to overtime with the Trail Blazers getting the first possession with the game tied at 103 apiece.

In overtime, the Kings would score first after Bogdan Bogdanovic made two free throws after a foul. The game was 105-103 with 4:20 remaining. Lillard was subsequently fouled from behind the line and made all three attempts to give the Trail Blazers back the lead 106-105. At this point, the Trail Blazers hit a couple clutch shots, and the Kings couldn’t buy a basket leading to a 113-108 game with 13.6 seconds remaining. That proved to be the final score.

The Kings continue their homestand as they host the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, January 3 at 7:00 PM PST.